


By the Way

by Stormchild



Category: X-Men Evolution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2018-03-01 19:09:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2784368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stormchild/pseuds/Stormchild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Evan’s still getting used to not being friends with Pietro.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By the Way

**Author's Note:**

> Super duper belated birthday present for Laddie.

"Evan? Like, Earth to Evan. Are you even listening? Evan!"

Evan’s head jerked up, eyes wide. The sudden shift in focus almost had him disoriented.

"Yeah, totally listening. Lance- something."

Kitty glanced over across the cafeteria in the direction Evan had been staring.

The Brotherhood sat at the same table every day. Even when they weren’t there, it was their table. No-one wanted to risk pissing off Lance Alvers or Fred Dukes. Hell, even an angry Pietro ‘Pretty Boy’ Maximoff was something worth avoiding.

It was just Lance and Pietro today taking up the entire table. Lance was saying something. Pietro didn’t seem to be listening, devoting all his attention to picking at the plate of fries they were sharing. If Kitty cared more, she might wonder where Fred and Todd were, or why it was pretty much the first time she’d ever seen Pietro eat.

"I stopped talking about Lance, like, ages ago. You’ve been staring at Maximoff, like, all day. What is up with you?” She asked.

"It’s nothing. Sorry, man. I spaced."

"Like, understatement."

She looked back over Pietro and Lance. There was something - everything - about the speedster that just annoyed him. The arrogance, the impatience, the ego.

"I don’t know how you ever tolerated that guy," Kitty said, wrinkling her nose.

"Well I don’t know how you  tolerate Alvers," Evan said, more than a little short, maybe more than necessary.

"They’re, like, nothing alike."

"Who’s nothing alike?" Jean asked.

She and Scott pulled out a pair of chairs and sat down. The question was curious, light. And Evan didn’t want to bring it down by mentioning Brotherhood in any capaci-

"Lance and Pietro. Like, Evan’s been staring at Maximoff all day. I’m trying to get him to tell me why.”

The curiosity immediately replaced with concerned.

"Pietro?"

"Did he do something?"

"Did he say something to you? If he threatened you-"

"It’s nothing like that, man,” Evan said. “We haven’t talked in forever, okay.”

He didn’t dare look up when Pietro walked past with the empty plate. He didn’t dare glance up at his narrow waist or thin hands or impossibly tight ass in those even tighter jeans. He didn’t watch the way Pietro walked like he owned the place.

After all this time, Evan never figured out how Pietro managed to radiate confidence. It always seemed so effortless. He’d always loved it.

"Then what’s up?" Scott asked.

For a moment, Evan didn’t say anything. He didn’t know if he had the right to. How much of Pietro’s life did he have the right to disclose? But they weren’t letting go. With just Kitty, it was bad enough. But Scott and the team telepath? They’d never let it go. He watched Pietro stride back across the cafeteria. He didn’t bother sitting, instead walked out with Lance at his side without so much as a backwards glance.

What the Hell did he owe Maximoff, anyway?

"It’s his birthday, okay. I just- feel bad ‘cause this is the first year I haven’t gotten him something."

"Evan," Jean said, too sympathetically for his taste, "you don’t owe him anything. You guys aren’t friends anymore."

"I know. Just weird, is all. Whatever, man. I got to get to class."

Evan sat behind Pietro in algebra. He’d always hated algebra. But gone were the days when he could bribe the pretty speedster in front of him with fast food to do his homework for him.

Was it just him or was Pietro getting thinner?

Every year, he’d always gotten Pietro a cupcake or a brownie or something for his birthday. Since Pietro’s family ‘didn’t do birthdays’. Evan had always brushed it off as a European thing. But thinking about it- Man, Pietro didn’t even really have a family. In hindsight, it seemed obvious.

Evan had always been the only one to remember Pietro’s birthday. He wondered if he’d even bothered telling the Brotherhood. They didn’t seem to be celebratory.

Maybe they didn’t do birthdays either.

The end of the day couldn’t come soon enough. When it finally did, Evan was ecstatic. He’d gone a whole week without cutting class. The professor and auntie O were going to be so proud. Hell, he was proud.

Evan could see Pietro down the hall. That guilt that had been gnawing away at his stomach all day was back. But he wasn’t going to do anything about it. They weren’t friends. Pietro was a lying, back-stabbing liar.

He was a lying, back-stabbing liar who’d never had any family who cared enough to so much as send a card for his birthday, whose hipbones stuck out when he reached up to grab a book from the top of his locker.

Who’d curled up around him on sleepovers and basketball trips, hogging the blankets like he’d never been warm.

Evan groaned, slapping his forehead. He’d regret it either way. Glancing over, he decided he didn’t have much time. Pietro seemed to be dragging his feet for once in his life. Evan had time. Maybe. Possibly. If he hurried.

It was last minute and shitty, but the vending machine was right across the hall and he probably had all of eight seconds before Pietro took off.

He almost missed him. Pietro’s pretty face twisted into a scowl when Evan blocked his way.

"What do you want, Daniels?” He snapped.

"Listen, man. I know we aren’t friends or anything anymore-"

"Exactly. So move."

"Just shut up and let me talk for two seconds. Man, you drive me nuts sometimes.”

Pietro crossed his arms over his chest, tapping his foot impatiently. Evan pretended it wasn’t a bead of sweat rolling down his spine.

"Please, keep talking. I do love flattery."

"Why’d you gotta’ be like that, man? I just wanted to say happy birthday. Okay? And- here."

Evan shoved the Coffee Crisp into Pietro’s chest. Coffee Crisp was Pietro’s favourite.

Pietro stared, and blinked. This was beyond unexpected.

"You- you remembered."

"Course I did, man. I always did. This doesn’t mean we’re friends again or nothing. But… happy birthday."

If Evan didn’t know better, he’d say Pietro smiled. Genuinely, too. None of that arrogance or cynicism. Just Pietro. The Pietro who cried through Happy Feet when it first came out, and blushed when Evan called him pretty, and whispered that he liked boys too with fear in his pretty blue eyes like he thought Evan would hit him for it. He’d missed these smiles. He missed thisPietro.

"Don’t be so lame," Pietro murmured.

Evan blinked and Pietro was gone. But for maybe a fraction of a second, if that, he could have sworn that he felt lips on his cheek.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this story, consider [buying me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/A0034VT) and supporting my original work.


End file.
